Who thought that Kelly Dodd would become the voice of reason on Real Housewives of Orange County? No one thought that while watching her first season on the show, but that is who she has become. Well, she’s a voice of reason with occasional outbursts and scathing insults, but I’m going to chalk it up to her being a well-balanced person. She gives us variety! Most importantly, she is the only one who has provided us with consistent entertainment for the last two seasons of this show.
During the last episode, everything was about Shannon Beador. According to Tamra Judge, Shannon normally loves it when it’s all about her, but it’s obvious that she loved nothing about the Jamaica trip up to this point. Shannon argued with every single cast member, ripped off her mic pack, and skipped out on the group bobsledding. On top of that, she was stuck in a villa with no air conditioning. The trip had to be downright miserable for Shannon, but is she the true victim in all this? She is in her head, at least.
In a Bravo blog post, Kelly declared, “Someone call the psych ward, because Shannon’s Jamaican’ me crazy!” Same here, Kelly. Normally it’s entertaining to watch a Real Housewife go off the rails, but watching Shannon screaming at her closest friends who were just trying to help her was pretty uncomfortable.
Kelly wrote, “As I’ve said before, I see both sides with Gina [Kirschenheiter] and Shannon. I like how Gina let Shannon know how she feels in such a direct way. She’s no bullsh–, just like me. But Shannon doesn’t take confrontation well. Instead of apologizing for hurting Gina’s feelings, she started playing the victim. It’s the Shannon switcheroo!” Playing the victim has truly become a #TotalShannonMove.
Kelly explained, “The truth is nobody was out to get her. If I had been in her position and Gina confronted me, I would have said, “I’m sorry! I had no idea. Let’s hang out tonight and have fun then!” That’s all it needed to be.” If only it was that simple.
She continued, “Gina’s comments about Tamra and Shannon’s friendship were just her repeating what Tamra has been saying. Tamra said it to Shannon too! None of this should have come as a big surprise. In fact, I think Tamra repeats it so much, because it’s the only way to get Shannon to really listen.” Clearly, that strategy did not work, but then again, it seems like pretty much no strategy would be effective in this situation.
Kelly admitted, “It breaks my heart to see her so sad, and to know she is feeling cornered and attacked. But then on the other hand, I don’t see what the big deal is, so she can come off like a spoiled brat, who runs off whenever she doesn’t get her way. I’ll always be there for Shannon, and I’ll do what I can to defuse the situation whenever possible, but the tantrums are beyond exhausting. Without breaking the fourth wall too much, I also think the producers deserve a little more respect.” Once again, we have Kelly as the voice of reason. This was far from a good look for Shannon. She definitely could have handled this situation better.
RELATED: Gina Kirschenheiter Doesn’t Regret Putting Tamra Judge On The Spot With Shannon Beador
Kelly wrote, “It’s a touchy subject to bring up somebody’s emotional problems, but I can’t help feeling like there is a deeper issue with Shannon that needs to be addressed. Depression? Paranoia? Rage? Victim-playing? Her levels are off the charts! Someone loosen this woman’s ponytail!” Oh that high ponytail. Shannon sure does love a high ponytail these days.
Kelly clarified, “Let me say this: I’m not saying or implying that Shannon is crazy. Life is crazy! What I have witnessed has given me concern. There’s no shame in seeking treatment. It’s up to everybody to find their own solutions and figure out what works for them. Maybe after this conversation, Shannon will take steps to deal with her emotional pain so she doesn’t take it out on other people. I don’t know what it will take for her to believe we were trying to help. In the meantime, there was nothing we could do to calm her down.”
Yelling at Shannon to take medication while she’s already yelling at other people hardly constitutes a “conversation,” but hopefully Shannon is in a better place after that shit show of an episode. As someone who is a complete outsider to this group, it was just so vicariously exhausting. I’m all for the drama, but Shannon refusing to listen is just too much to deal with- even from the comfort of my own couch at home.
